SAB Drops Contentious ‘Co-Benefits’ Debate From MATS Rollback Report

EPA advisors are poised to eliminate debate on the emissions reduction “co-benefits” stemming from the agency’s review of the Obama-era utility air toxics rule, narrowing the focus of their final report on the review largely to direct mercury benefits and avoiding EPA efforts to discount co-benefits in order to support rolling back its cost-benefit justification. During a Jan. 24 Science Advisory Board (SAB) conference call, panel members clashed over the role of co-benefits in the proposal that would undo the...